UV Sriracha vodka makes a pretty good Bloody Mary, especially if you stack some protein on it

When the fine folks at UV Vodka wrote to let us know they were rolling out some new flavors and offered to send a couple of bottles our way, how could we resist? The Tangential was founded on Bloody Marys. Plus, for us, drinking UV is drinking local: it’s made by the Minneapolis-based Phillips Distilling Company.

This morning a few of our writers came to my apartment for a vodka tasting and garnish-off, with the winner to be determined by Instagram likes. My “southern comfort” Bloody (involving no whiskey but a lot of okra) was tied with Becky Lang’s everything-bagel Bloody until Lisa Olson showed up with a Starbucks bistro box, which we turned into the high-stacked protein-rich garnish that garnered the most likes.

As for the vodka? Yeah, we dug it. Becky and I agreed that mixing a shot of UV Sriracha with some good ol’ supermarket-shelf Bloody mix yielded a pleasantly spicy drink that was at least as good as you’re apt to get at your local gastropub. We also took shots of UV’s Salty Caramel Apple vodka, which is intensely apple-y and paired well with Phillips peppermint schnapps and a seasonal candy-cane garnish.